Could 'Community' be revived on Hulu?

Greendale may not have closed its doors for good after all: Hulu is currently in talks with Sony Pictures TV for a sixth season of the recently cancelledCommunity, a source close to the show tells EW. (Deadline first reported the news.) Sony and Hulu aren’t commenting, and another source stressed caution about such a deal, but a proposed plan would likely include a 13-episode new season of the community college meta-comedy, with creator Dan Harmon in the fold. If by chance an agreement were reached, it would push the show past the 100-episode milestone (it’s at 97), and, of course, bring it one crucial step closer to fulfilling fans’ rally cries of “six seasons and a movie.”

Hulu is a logical destination for the show, as it already owns the exclusive digital rights to the Community’s first five seasons. (The off-network rights belong to Comedy Central.) The streaming service is committed to expanding its original programming, which currently includes shows like The Awesomes, Deadbeat and East Los High, as well as Casey Wilson’s upcoming Real Housewives parody The Hotwives of Orlando, but original episodes of Community would put HuluPlus – with its six million subscribers – on the map in a bigger way, much like the revival of Arrested Development did for Netflix.

Earlier this month, NBC officially cut bait on Community, whose fifth season averaged 3.8 million viewers and a 1.6 rating in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, including DVR playback. Harmon has kept expectations in check about the possibility of the show – which had made scoring a last-minute renewal from NBC an annual rite – finding a second life elsewhere. Responding to the cancellation news on his blog, he said he was open to making more episodes (“I’m not going to be the guy who recancels cancelled Community”) but also noted: “[T]here are lots of reasons a Community resurrection could be difficult. So be prepared for that.”